Why do you think the study of the history of libraries is important? What do we as librarians and archivists learn from such a study? How have other academic disciplines contributed to the field?

“The role of libraries has changed in today’s society (since the 1990s).” Defend or refute this statement using examples from the class and your readings to demonstrate how and why you agree or disagree.

Week 1

Ancient & Medieval Libraries, Archives & Records Centers How do today’s libraries parallel those of ancient and medieval times? What did we take from these earlier cultures and what did we omit?

Ancient World to 400 CE

Introduction to the History of Libraries

The library and its place within society and history

READ:

“Reading the Library” Chapter 1 in Matthew Battles Library: An Unquiet History p3-21.

Houston, George W. “Tiberius and the Libraries: Public Book Collections and Library Buildings in the Early Roman Empire” Libraries & The Cultural Record 43 No. 3 (September 10, 2008): 247–269. (available through KentLink on EJC)

Cambron-Goulet, Mathilde. “Aristotle’s Library and the Horses of Tros: The Book as a Material and Intellectual Object in Intellectual Circles in Antiquity.” International Journal of the Book 8 Issue 2 (2011): 133-138. [Available through KentLink]

Ranasinghe, Rhis. “How Buddhism Influenced the Origin and Development of Libraries in Sri Lanka (Ceylon): From the Third Century BC to the Fifth Century AD.” Library History 24 No. 4 (Dec 2008): 307-312. (available through KentLink)

Davis, Lindsey. Alexandria: A Marcus Didius Falco Mystery. NY: Minotaur Books, 2010.Fox, Margalit. The Riddle of the Labyrinth. NY: Ecco, 2013. (The decipherment of Linear B, found in the archives in Mycenae and on Crete. For more info, see the book reviews and Program in Aegean Scripts and Prehistory http://blogs.utexas.edu/pasp/

Week 2

Late Medieval through Early Modern Libraries (1300s-mid 1800s)How did the wide dissemination of printed books encourage the development of libraries and literacy? How do the missions and contents of libraries change from the period before printing to the 1500s? Do you see a similar change occurring today with digital libraries and collections?

Late Middle Ages to Renaissance

Readings

“The House of Wisdom” Chapter 3 in Matthew Battles Library: An Unquiet History p56-81.

Libraries in North America 1600-Mid-1800s Social, economic, and political conditions contributed to the rise of libraries in Europe and North America. What factors contribute to their use today?

New World – American & Canadian Libraries 1600-1800

READ:

“The Battle for the Books” Chapter 4 in Matthew Battles Library: An Unquiet History p82-116.

Shera, Jesse H. “The Beginnings of the Public Library,” Chapter 6 in Foundations of the Public Library: The Origins of the Public Library Movement in New England 1629-1855, (Shoestring Press, 1965): 156-199. Available through the Internet Archive http://archive.org/details/foundationsofthe012037mbp

SUBSCRIPTION LIBRARIES:

THE LIBRARY COMPANY

PRIMARY SOURCE: Franklin, Benjamin founds The Junto in Philadelphia. Read in his own words about the founding of this intellectual society. An outgrowth of this group is the American Philosophical Society http://www.amphilsoc.org/

Special Libraries and the growth of public libraries in Europe and North America 1850s to 2000 Legal Deposit and Copyright collections built up libraries quickly. Do you see this as a benefit or a hindrance to the growth of cohesive collections?

Modern Libraries in Europe 1800-2000

Read

“Books for All” Chapter 5 in Matthew Battles Library: An Unquiet History p117-155.

Merveld, N. V. Books cannot be killed by fire: the German Freedom Library and the American Library of Nazi-Banned Books as agents of cultural memory. Library Trends. 55 (Winter 2007):523-35). [available through KENTLink]

McLaughlin, Cynthia G. The State Library at 200: A Celebration of Library Services to Ohio. Brookfield, Mo: The Donning Company Publishers for the State Library of Ohio, 2017. READ Chapter 1 1817-1895 [e-reserves]

Libraries around the World & the Future of Libraries Compare and contrast the concept, role, and place of libraries in Europe and North America (and Australia & New Zealand) with those in Asia and Africa.

Non-Western World Libraries

Read

“Knowledge on Fire” Chapter 6 in Matthew Battles Library: An Unquiet History p156-191

Dick, Archie L. “Introduction: The Significance of Common Readers in South Africa.” Introduction to The Hidden History of South Africa’s Book and Reading Cultures (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012): 3-11, 143-146 [e-reserve]

The Mellon International Dunhuang Archive (MIDA) http://www.artstor.org/what-is-artstor/w-html/col-mellon-dunhuang.shtml High-quality digital reconstructions of the mural paintings and related art and texts associated with the several hundred Buddhist cave shrines in Dunhuang, China, a uniquely important cultural crossroads on the ancient Silk Route in the Gobi Desert.

Libraries in the 21st century and beyondBiographical Sketch of Library Due – Friday at 11:59pm

Read

“Lost in the Stacks” Chapter 7 in Matthew Battles Library: An Unquiet History p192-214.

Given, Lisa M. and Lianne McTavish. “What’s Old is New Again: The Recovergence of Libraries, Archives, and Museums in the Digital Age.” The Library Quarterly 80 No. 1 (Jan 2010): 7-32 [available through KentLink]